With the federal farm bill set to expire this month and a steep farm profit decline on the horizon, Georgia’s Black farmers, who have faced decades of racial discrimination at the hands of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, remain more vulnerable than ever to economic downturn.
Black farmers have long been denied USDA farm loans and assistance despite attempts at reform including a 1999 class action lawsuit where Black farmers sued the USDA for denying them access to low interest grants and loans. In 2022, Congress passed a bill to set aside $2 billion for farmers who proved they were discriminated against.
Fighting racial discrimination in farming has been a priority for Georgia Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, who pledged on the campaign trail to provide aid to struggling farmers and who has advocated for the relief. This summer, Warnock celebrated when the USDA announced it would distribute the funds, including about $137 million of the funds would be distributed to nearly 2,200 Georgia farmers…